Jumping Mad
"Jumping Mad" is the eighth episode of the first season of ''The Replacements''. Synopsis Riley is concerned about Dick's safety, so she replaces Dick's incompetent stunt coordinator with a physicist. Plot Dick shows his family the cannon he purchased for his newest death-defying stunt. This cannon model was recalled, which was why Dick got it for cheap. Dick’s rival Gordo Glideright parachutes in, and Dick brags to Gordo that he will land in another cannon instead of a net. When Riley wonders what kind of idiot would come up with such a stunt, Dick takes the opportunity to introduce his stunt coordinator and mechanic, “Uncle” Phil Mygrave. Phil is incredibly incompetent at his job. Dick wants to test this dangerous stunt himself, but Riley convinces Dick to use a dummy instead. The dummy misses the other cannon, crashes through multiple billboards, lands on the street, gets run over by an eighteen-wheeler, and gets attacked by raccoons. Riley asks Dick to consider finding a better stunt coordinator. Dick refuses, even though he and Phil came up with the asinine idea of jumping over the city of Tokyo. Concerned about her father’s safety, Riley calls Fleemco and asks to replace Phil Mygrave. Conrad thinks Riley should trust her father, but he reluctantly follows through. Gordo Glideright hires Phil away from Dick Daring; Gordo promised to double Phil’s salary in the form of ice cream sandwiches. The next morning, the family meets the new stunt coordinator: physicist Dr. Hans Herkemer, who quit his job at the space program to work for Mr. Daring. Later, in Giza, Egypt, Dick prepares to jump over the pyramids in a rocket. Phil Mygrave always gave Mr. Daring big red buttons to push, but they’re missing. Dr. Herkemer installed an auto-pilot system because he couldn’t trust Dick to pilot the rocket himself. Dick is bored throughout the whole thing. As Dick’s stunts get safer, less and less people attend Dick’s stunt shows. With no one attending his stunt shows anymore, Dick is reduced to sitting at home in his pajamas watching daytime soap operas. Riley tells Dick that his last stunts went perfectly, causing him to rant about the state of his career. He always took chances and lived on the edge until Dr. Herkemer came into the picture. Riley can’t stand to see her father so broken, so she decides to look for Phil Mygrave. The family flies to the top of the St. Louis Gateway Arch, where Phil is putting the finishing touches on Gordo’s stunt. Phil is reluctant to rejoin Mr. Daring since Riley underestimated Phil’s intelligence. Riley admits that she can’t change how she feels, but she had learned to trust her father’s judgment. Gordo glides in and gloats that Phil signed a ten-year contract. Then, Gordo is off to practice his stunt. He will bungee jump off the Arch, stop half an inch above the ground, grab the key to the city, bounce back up, and give the key to the mayor. As Gordo falls, C.A.R. asks if Phil measured the right amount of cord. Gordo faceplants onto the ground, bounces back up, and fires Phil on the spot. Later that day, Dick Daring attempts the same stunt. For Mr. Daring’s safety, the Darings and Phil cut out some of the cord beforehand. Dick falls only a few feet; Phil cut out more than necessary. Mr. Daring dangles off the Gateway Arch. Category:Episodes Category:Season One